Service for St. John shows the average sale
price of 55 homes sold as $960,000 and the
average price of 155 land
properties sold as $377,000.
While most St. Johnians
recognise that the park
drives much of the local
economy and helps main-
tain the rural feel of the
island, there is
a wide range of opinions held
between and within the diverse
communities on the island
about these areas and the
National Park Service. Opinions
range from whole-hearted sup-
port to staunch opposition, and
actions in relation to the pro-
tected areas are as varied.
Although only a third of St.
John’s population trace their
roots to the pre-park era, the
island’s recent native history
and culture in many ways still
dominate local viewpoints
toward the park, particularly
negative ones. In the following
section we explain how and
why this should matter to pro-
tected areas managers.
Perceived poor cultural
understanding of PA
managers: a predictor of
local opposition
Over 200 interviews with St.
John residents show trends that
shed light on why history and
culture matter to resource man-
agement. In Stern’s study, 115 respondents,
both native and immigrants to the island,
were asked to rate their overall level of sat-
isfaction toward the park on a scale from
one to ten, ten being the best. They were
then asked to explain why they responded
in the ways that they did. Figure 1a and 1b
show the most common explanations for
these attitudes. The most commonly report-
ed explanations for negative attitudes
toward the park were those of cultural
incompatibility. People commonly reported
that the park management made very little
effort to fit in with island culture^15 and
often exhibited blatant disrespect for local
people. We will address only some of the
roots of these complaints in this short
report.
Respondents were also asked to rate their
perceptions of how well they believed that
park officials understood the local culture on
the island on a five-point scale. Fifty-five
percent of native St. Johnians and forty-two
percent of non-native residents responded
that they didn’t understand it at all, while
only five respondents suggested that they
History, cculture aand cconservation
Most SSt. JJohnians
recognise tthat tthe
park ddrives mmuch
of tthe llocal eecono-
my aand hhelps
maintain tthe rrural
feel oof tthe iisland.
Figure 1b.Most commonly reported negative influences on local
opinions of VINP
Figure 1a.Most commonly reported positive influences on local
opinions of VINP
